Yes/No Questions

Level 1

In German, yes/no questions start with the verb (V1 order). There is no 'do' auxiliary like in English.

How It Works

1. The Verb-First (V1) Rule
In a standard statement, German uses Verb-Second (V2) order. To ask a question that requires a 'yes' or 'no' answer (an Entscheidungsfrage), the finite (conjugated) verb moves to the first position.

2. No 'Do-Support'
Unlike English, German does not use the verb 'to do' to form questions. You simply use the main verb itself. For example, 'Do you play?' becomes 'Play you?' (Spielst du?).

3. Complex Verbs and Separable Prefixes
If the sentence has a modal verb or a compound tense, only the conjugated part moves to the front. The infinitive or participle stays at the very end. Similarly, with separable verbs, the prefix moves to the end of the question (e.g., Rufst du mich an?).

4. Answering Negative Questions
If someone asks a negative question (e.g., 'Are you not coming?'), and you want to say 'Yes, I am,' you must use the word doch instead of ja.

5. Intonation
In spoken German, these questions usually end with a rising pitch to signal that a response is expected.

Examples (6)

  1. Lernst du Deutsch?

    Are you learning German?

    Word by Word: Learn you German?

    A simple question where the verb 'lernen' moves to the first position.

  2. Trinkst du Kaffee?

    Do you drink coffee?

    Word by Word: Drink you coffee?

    Notice there is no 'do' in the German version; the main verb starts the sentence.

  3. Kannst du mir helfen?

    Can you help me?

    Word by Word: Can you me help?

    With a modal verb, the conjugated verb 'kannst' is first, and the infinitive 'helfen' is last.

  4. Rufst du mich heute an?

    Are you calling me today?

    Word by Word: Call you me today at?

    With a separable verb like 'anrufen', the prefix 'an' moves to the very end of the question.

  5. Kommst du nicht mit? – Doch!

    Aren't you coming along? – Yes, I am!

    Word by Word: Come you not with? – Yes (contradicting)!

    When answering a negative question with 'yes', you must use 'doch' instead of 'ja'.

  6. Hast du das Buch gelesen?

    Have you read the book?

    Word by Word: Have you the book read?

    In the perfect tense, the auxiliary 'hast' is first, and the participle 'gelesen' is last.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'tun' (to do) as an auxiliary verb for questions.

    Tust du Deutsch lernen?
    Lernst du Deutsch?

    English speakers often try to translate 'Do you...' literally. In German, you must use the main verb in the first position.

  • Keeping the verb in the second position (statement order).

    Du kommst heute?
    Kommst du heute?

    While statement order with rising intonation is sometimes used to show surprise, the standard way to ask a neutral question is to put the verb first.

  • Putting a separable prefix at the start with the verb.

    Anrufst du mich?
    Rufst du mich an?

    Only the conjugated part of the verb moves to the front. The prefix of a separable verb must remain at the end.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Yes/No QuestionsLevel 1

Learn This First

To form yes/no questions in German, you need to understand how to conjugate verbs in the present tense and how the basic word order changes by moving the finite verb to the beginning of the sentence.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.